7. Shiloh
Shiloh
It takes him forever to leave, but I watch Ledger back out of his spot and make a slow pass in front of the people who seem to be living here with their doors wide open, and no doubt have other things in their rooms.
Eventually, he turns onto the street and disappears from sight. Since this place isn’t exactly hopping, I gave the guy at the desk an extra twenty to let me keep my stuff here until I came back after I got my stuff and messed with Grey some more.
I’m out of cash, and pulling from my savings makes me want to vomit. It’s called a rainy day fund for a reason, and even I can recognize that it’s pouring, but I’ll wait until the absolute last second before I use it. It can always get worse, and in my life it usually does.
After I shower, wipe it down, and get my stuff in the car, I’m sweating and I wish I had an ice pack for my ribs, but I don’t. I’ve been using bags of ice from the ice machine until they melt and soak my shirt.
I drive over to the office, give my keys to the guy I don’t recognize, but also try not to look too closely at because he gives me a weird feeling, and head into town.
I threw my bloody clothes in a dumpster a few blocks away.
Then drive to the diner. I have a shift tomorrow and can change in the bathroom before we open for the morning.
Though I’m not sure I could lift a tray right now.
I might have to do one plate at a time. Whatever, I’ll figure it out. I always do.
My heart pangs in my chest. I want to call my dad.
I want to hear his voice, but I know the moment I do, I’ll burst into tears.
And he’ll come running, I know he’ll do whatever it takes to help me, but …
I’m not there yet. Even though I absolutely am, but I’m not going to admit it and I’m going to continue deluding myself.
Plus, if I told Dad, it would make him an accomplice, right?
The bang of the gun still rings in my ears, but I find myself thinking about the sheriff instead. Why did Ledger help me? He’s the sheriff for Pete’s sake. He should have arrested me.
But he didn’t.
I pull in behind the diner, push my seat back, and grab my blanket for a pillow.
Luckily, this SUV is roomy, and it’s not too uncomfortable.
I considered trying to see if a friend would let me crash on their couch, but then I realized everyone who I thought was my friend was friends with Grey first. If I’m there, he’ll come for me, especially after tonight, and I know who will side with him. They always have.
I’m on my own.
Tossing a pain pill back, I turn to my side so I’m not lying on the wrong side of my ribs, and take a deep breath, hoping the pain ebbs soon.
These pills are strong. I only take them when I’m about to go to sleep.
I don’t need to get arrested for driving crazy, and I don’t need to get in an accident.
There’s no way Ledger could help me out of that one.
The cool air blows through my window, and I sigh. It’s not too bad. It’s like camping. I close my eyes, and exhaustion nearly pulls me under.
Knock knock.
I yelp, scrambling for my revolver, but it falls to the floor, and I look up to find Ledger Hayes frowning at me. He’s frowned at me so much I’m beginning to like the way it moves his mustache. Maybe I’m high from the pain pills.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asks.
I take a deep, painful breath, trying to steady my heart.
“Well?” he asks.
“Why the hell do you care?” I shriek.
He takes a step back and slips his hands into his pockets.
I can see in the dim light that he’s exhausted; he should probably be in bed.
He strikes me as one of those guys who’s up at five in the morning because he has a strict schedule and program he sticks to, and it doesn’t matter if the sky is falling — he’s sticking to his routine.
“Why are you parked outside the diner, about to go to sleep in your car, Shiloh?” Ledger grits out. He’s doubtless regretting everything he’s done for me. Can’t say I blame him either.
“Answer my question first,” I snap back.
“I saw you drive past the station even though you said you were staying at the Inn.”
“And?” I ask.
“And … nothing. Why are you sleeping in your car, especially after tonight?”
I groan and throw myself against the seat, and whimper, grabbing my side. Now I really need ice.
“I’m not sure why you care where I am or what I’m doing.”
“That’s a joke, right?” he says.
I lift a shoulder, unable to look at him. Ashamed of where I am and what I’ve done.
“Do you need a place to stay?” he asks, shocking me to my core.
I glare at him through the window, and the tiny bit of pride I still have makes me keep my mouth shut, but the way my ribs are throbbing, that pride is about to crumble into dust.
“I couldn’t afford another night at the beautiful inn. So here I am.”
“Do you need some help?” he asks.
“I don’t want your charity,” I mumble and turn away, trying to hide the heat I can feel rising on my cheeks.
“Fair enough, but you already got it. Aside from that, I’m not going to let you sleep out here by yourself. Remember there’s a gang of thugs that jumped you in this very parking lot, on top of the ex-boyfriend who you recently got into a scuffle with.”
I roll my eyes and try not to laugh. There is a massive elephant standing next to my car, and both of us are ignoring it. Yet it’s comforting knowing he knows the truth, and I didn’t have to tell him. At least someone knows.
“I’ll be fine,” I rasp.
Ledger sighs and rubs his hand over his mustache. “Look, the sheriff in me is saying you can’t park and sleep in your car. The man my mother raised is saying to help the woman out, and I’d have to agree with her.”
“Sounds like you have more issues than me.”
The corner of his mouth tips up, and I don’t know why it feels like a victory over the stern sheriff, but it does.
“You have two choices, Shiloh. You can crash in my spare bedroom, or I’ll pay for a night for you at the inn, though I’m not sure that’s a safe option either, and I will send a cruiser down there to check things out.”
I shake my head and focus on my fidgeting hands. “There you go ruining my street cred again.”
“Consider it a favor,” he grumbles. “So, what’s your choice? I’m not leaving you here, and if you don’t make one, I will make it for you.”
“You are decisive, aren’t you?”
“Sure, but I’m also impatient.”
“How do you know I won’t just ransack your house and escape in the middle of the night like the criminal I am?” I ask him.
His face is half shadow from his hat, and I wish I could see his eyes.
Why though?
Maybe it’s because I want to make sure I’m safe with him, even though being unsafe with him never crossed my mind.
He huffs. “Because I don’t think you’re that stupid, and you know I know enough to put you in jail. But you’re not a prisoner and I’m not your keeper. I’m helping you, take it or leave it, but you have to take one.”
“I —”
“Get in the truck, Shiloh,” Ledger commands, his voice deep, leaving absolutely no room for argument. And strangely enough, I manually roll up my window and get out of the car.
He grabs my bags and tosses them in the back seat of his truck before opening the passenger side door for me.
I wince stepping up and he holds my hand snugly as I drop into the seat.
“I could have driven myself.”
“And I could be in bed asleep if I wasn’t busy saving you from yourself,” he grumbles.
“I mean, you’re the one stalking me, so.”
“If this is what you consider stalking, then I probably have some work to do.”
“Thinking about changing careers?”
He huffs. “I’m thinking about a lot of things.”
We pull into his driveway, and his house is cute. It’s a ranch style with a garage and a small shed in the back.
The siding is white, and the roof is a basic brown. Wood shutters frame the windows, and the front door looks like wood, lit up by the porch light. There’s nothing inherently special, but it’s well taken care of.
Ledger pulls into the garage and doesn’t say a word getting out of the truck. I open the door to ease out, and then he appears with an open hand to help me. I take it because if I don’t, I’ll probably fall out of the truck and make myself worse.
“Thanks,” I rasp.
He grunts and drops my hand, opening the back door to grab my bags.
I follow him up two steps into the house. I don’t know what I expected the sheriff’s house to be like, but I didn’t anticipate it smelling so good.
It smells like man, but clean, like he sprays expensive cologne before he leaves.
He kicks off his boots in the small laundry room and hangs his hat on the hook.
I do the same, toeing off my old sneakers and follow him.
We go past the kitchen and living room, past a bathroom, and stop at a simple bedroom with a bed.
There isn’t much on the walls, but the bed looks heavenly, framed in with two bedside tables, one with a small lamp sitting on it.
There’s a dresser across from it with a large TV sitting on top, with the closet to the side.
Ledger sets my bags on the bed and faces me. “The bathroom next door is all yours, and towels are in the closet. I think my sister left some soap and shampoo stuff in there if you need it.”
I blink a few times, still confused as to why this man would trust or allow me in his house after I shot Grey. It doesn’t matter that I wouldn’t even consider doing something to his home, but he doesn’t know that.
“Oh, and I keep it kind of cold in here. I run hot, so if you need blankets or something, there’s some in the dresser. Do you need anything else? I’m going to hit the hay,” he says.
“I—” I wince and take a deep breath.
“Oh, ice, let me get you an ice pack for your ribs,” he says and brushes past me.
The man has been working all day, and he still smells good.
I follow him into the kitchen, and he opens the freezer, grabbing an ice pack, then rummages through a drawer and wraps the pack in a towel.
“Here you go,” he says.
I take it and lay it on my side, and I sigh with relief. “Thank you.”